Improvement in toys



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK C. LEYPOLDT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN TOYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,231, dated March 3l, 1874'; application filed February 26, 1874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK C. LEY- POLDT, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a new Toy, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to make a toy imitation of an acrobat upon a revolving barrel or cylinder; and I attain this object by securing the figure A to the loose central section B of a barrel or cylinder, D, which section is provided with a'weight, ,as shown in Figures l and 2 of the accompanying drawing, in order to prevent it from turning with the barrel, the ligure being consequently maintained in an upright position. Further inI- provemens, relating to mechanism for making the figure step, jump, turn, Ste., on the Abarrel or cylinder, will be fully describedhereafter. The end sections b and b of the barrel are connected together by a central spindle, F, to which the section B-is hung loosely. The legs of the ligure A are hinged, and the feet are secured to two levers, el d', which have their fulcrums on the spindle F, and are operated by a transverse lever, c, which extends through slots in the said levers cl d', and has its fulcrum in a block, f, pivoted to the section B, as best observed in the enlarged view, Fig. 3. When the barrel is rolled along a oor or down an inclined plane, x, Fig. 2, inthe direction of the arrow, the weigh-fed central section B, which is a trifle less in diameter than the other sections, will remain stationary, and the figure A will assume and be maintained in an upright position, and will at the same time be caused to move its feet to and fro, as if stepping over the surface of the barrel, owing to the vibration of the levers cl and d by the transverse lever e, which is struck successively by a series of pins, 7L, on the internal partition i of the section b of the barrel, and is returned to its normal position afterhaving been struck by a spring, 79, secured to the lever d. y

When the barrel is turned in the reverse direction, the projections h strike and depress the beveled end l of the lever e, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, and thus pass by the said lever without causing it to vibrate the levers d and el', so that the feet of the figure will remain stationary during said reverse movement.

If a jumping movement only is to be imparted to the ligure, the above-described operating parts are dispensed with, and the said gure is secured to a rod, m, (shown in the detached view, Fig. 4,) to which an irregular veri tical reciprocating movement is imparted by a cam, p, secured to the shaft F.

If it be desired to simply rotate the gure, the supporting-rod m, Fig. 5, is provided at its lower end with a cog or bevel wheel, q, gearing into a toothed wheel, w, on the shaft F.

For a cheap toy, all the operating devices may be dispensed with, the ligure being permanently secured to a Weighted disk, hung loosely to the central spindle of the barrel.

The barrel maybe simply rolled about, or it may be drawn or -pushed by a forked rod or wire attached to the opposite projecting ends of the spindle F.

I claim as my inventionl. A toy in which are combined a barrel or cylinder, D, and a weighted disk, B, hung loosely to the same, and supporting a gure, A, all substantially as herein described.

2. The combination of the ligure A, weighted section B, levers d, d', and e, and projections on the movable portion of the barrel, whereby the said levers are vibrated, and a stepping movement imparted to the tigure,.all substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I h. ve signed myname to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

F. C. LEYPOLDT.

Witnesses WM. A. STEEL, HARRY SMITH. 

